To celebrate Leeds 400 we’ll be running a series of creative walking workshops in Roundhay Park on the 11th of July. Led by Bryony Aitchison and Marilou Chagnaud, this one-hour workshop invites you to pay close attention to the textures and colours of rocks, and the green life that emerges from them. Through a slow walk punctuated by poetry exercises and tactile work with paper, we’ll explore plant life and geology through art-making exercises and walking scores 🌿 The walk forms part of Side Quests, a collaborative project led by Bryony Aitchison and Gaia Blandina that integrates sound art, poetry, and participatory research. Side Quests offers art walks as creative disruptions rather than guided tours – open-ended encounters that provoke new ways of seeing, hearing, and imagining landscapes. About the walk leaders Bryony Aitchison is a poet and postdoctoral researcher at the University of York, as well as a research coordinator for RENEW, a UK-wide programme developing solutions for biodiversity renewal. Her work explores the relationships between place, identity, and creative practice. Marilou Chagnaud is a UK-based artist whose practice spans printmaking, sculpture, and site-specific installation. Working primarily with textiles and paper, she develops a visual language of line, colour, and pattern that responds to its surroundings. Note: The exact location details, route and travel info will be sent to bookers ahead of time. In partnership with Arts Together Creative Careers, WYCA and Leeds City Council